China’s actions ‘threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability,’ says US
The White House refused Vladimir Putin’s demand to hold a public debate with President Biden with the US president saying he is “quite busy” and therefore able to debate live with Mr Putin.
This follows Joe Biden calling the Russian leader a “killer” in an interview with ABC News.
Meanwhile the first talks between China and the US, since President Biden took office have begun, with diplomats clashing over a range of issues.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited the US’ “deep concerns with actions by China,” saying that they “threaten the rules based order that maintains global stability.”
China accused the US of suppressing other countries with its “military force and financial hegemony,” with the two sides agreeing on very little.
In the US, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold national office, will visit Atlanta. This visit comes just days since a gunman shot dead eight people in the US state.
Atlanta shooter could face the death penalty
The suspect in the Atlanta spa shootings in which eight people were killed, could be facing the death penalty under Georgia’s law, according to US media reports.
Robert Aaron Long, 21, who was charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault, is yet to be presented in court after his Thursday hearing was cancelled.
Stuti mishra has more below:
Eleanor Sly19 March 2021 09:57
Biden and Harris to visit Atlanta amid surge in anti-Asian violence
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold national office, will visit Atlanta on Friday, just days since a gunman killed eight people.
Most of those killed were Asia American women and come following a national surge in anti-Asian violence across the country.
Mr Biden, just five days before the attacks took place, called attacks on Asian Americans “un-American.”
This rise in violence happened as former US president Donald Trump and Republicans referred to the coronavirus as the “China virus,” due to where it is thought to have originated from.
According to activists, almost 3,800 incidents have been reported in the past year to Stop AAPI Hate, a reporting centre based in California for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and its partner advocacy groups.
The trip was planned before the shooting took place with Mr Biden and Ms Harris originally set to attend a planned political event in the evening.
However, officials announced: “Given the tragedy in Georgia on Tuesday night, President Biden and Vice President Harris will postpone the evening political event in Georgia for a future date,” officials announced in a news release.”
The pair will instead meet legislators and other community leaders to discuss racism and actions against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Eleanor Sly19 March 2021 09:36
Alaska summit: China accuses US of ‘slaughtering’ Black Americans as first talks of Biden era descend into public squabble
The strain in the relations between the US and China was on public display during the opening session of the Alaska summit on Thursday as top officials of the two countries traded angry barbs.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi sparred over a range of issues from trade to human rights in Tibet, Hong Kong and China’s western Xinjiang region, as well as over Taiwan, China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea and the coronavirus pandemic.
Eleanor Sly19 March 2021 09:08
US-China talks begin with diplomats clashing
The first talks to take place between China and the US, since President Biden took office have begun.
It seemed that diplomats were unable to agree on a range of issues in a rare public display of bilateral tension.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked about the “deep concerns” that the US has about actions by China, citing “ Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyber attacks on the United States, economic coercion of our allies” as examples.
He added that the US feels the Asian country “threaten[s] the rules based order that maintains global stability.”
The White House has underlined how it is looking for a change in behavior from China, with hopes that the relationship between the two superpowers could be reset under the Biden administration.
China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi responded saying:”The United States uses its military force and financial hegemony to carry out long arm jurisdiction and suppress other countries.”
“It abuses so-called notions of national security to obstruct normal trade exchanges, and incite some countries to attack China,” he added.
Eleanor Sly19 March 2021 08:46
Biden team shuts down bizarre Putin suggestion of live debate over ‘killer’ comments: ‘He’s quite busy’
The White House on Thursday rebuffed Vladimir Putin’s demand to hold a public debate with president Joe Biden over his “killer” comment about the Russian president, saying he is “quite busy”.
The war of words between the leaders of the two countries began after President Biden, in an interview with ABC News, referred to his Russian counterpart as a “killer”. Mr Putin shrugged off the remarks by saying: “it takes one to know one.”
Eleanor Sly19 March 2021 08:19
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Eleanor Sly19 March 2021 08:17